Only For You
by SNlXXY
Summary: Irie Naoki was tired of living the same old life every single day. He had it all: brains, popularity, a wonderful family. He needed change. He didn't expect the change he was looking for to be found in a girl with doe eyes and horrible study habits.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is my first time delving into writing for this fandom that I have grown to love so much. It absolutely sucks that I caught on when it's died down a bit, but I thought it'd be a great chance to spice it up for those of us still here and wanting more of our fave couple.

A little background: for the sake of this story, there is no Class A-F, just typical high school where everyone's thrown into the same high school classes together regardless of how smart.

Next: I thought it'd be fresh to see Naoki for Kotoko first. We're gonna go with this trope and just see what comes of it. He'll be extremely out of character but hey, that's showbiz folks.

Please let me know what you think, what you hated, and if you'd like to see more of this fic!

Also- this fic was originally written for Playful Kiss, the Korean drama. If you'd like to read it in that universe I have it posted in that fandom's archive as well!

—-

He needed something different.

Irie Naoki had known this for quite some time now- every day filled with the same thing over and over. The same boring lectures, the same boring rice and coffee for breakfast, same boring everything.

Sure, he was pretty popular and had the best scores in his grade, and it was cool at first, but he was _bored._

He looked around his first class of the day uninterestedly, only a handful of his classmates in their seats as there usually were when he sat in the room 15 minutes early.

Naoki continued to read his book until he heard his teacher come through the door. He could usually tell without looking up by the way that the man would shuffle through stacks of paper and mumble to himself on his way in.

Setting his book aside, Naoki sighed and prepared to zone out while his teacher rattled off about information he's known since grade seven.

What he wasn't prepared for was the tiny, doe-eyed girl that walked in behind the teacher.

Naoki felt himself straighten up in his seat as if to get a better look (or so she could see him better, he wasn't sure which).

She was pretty cute, he wasn't going to lie. Which was a first for him to admit, seeing as for the entirety of his life he never really felt attracted to women. Or anyone. Of course, he was a teenage boy, so he's felt _that kind of attraction, _but he genuinely thought this girl was _really cute_. She had reddish hair that grazed her shoulders and plump, pink lips.

The teacher cleared his throat after a couple of minutes have passed and the remainder of the class had filtered in. "Okay everybody! We have a new student who is joining us, and I would like for all of you to be very welcoming." He turned to the girl standing next to him. "Please, dear, introduce yourself."

Her cheeks tinged pink slightly as all eyes turned to her, but she smiled and bowed before she awkwardly waved to the class. "Hi everyone! I'm Aihara Kotoko. Please take care of me!" She quickly bowed once more.

There was scattered applause throughout the classroom, and a round of teasing giggles accompanied by eye rolls from the so-called popular girls of the school, but a quite enthusiastic round of clapping from behind where Naoki was sitting. He turned to see Ikezawa Kinnosuke, the class clown, as the source of all the noise.

Naoki rolled his eyes before facing forward once more. It was just in time to see new girl choosing the empty seat right in front of him. He caught a whiff of strawberries from her hair as she sat down.

For some reason, he had this weird internal debate about whether or not he was going to tap her on the shoulder and introduce himself.

He shook his head. She was cute and she smelled super nice, but he didn't typically do that kind of thing.

Throughout class, he found himself looking over her slight shoulder and noticing that she wasn't paying much attention, but doodling away in her notebook instead.

Interesting.

Aihara Kotoko. Maybe he found his something different.

—-

As the bell rang dismissing class, Naoki looked up from his book and saw new girl stand up and start putting her stuff away in her bag. She sensed him watching what she was doing, so she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. She offered a tiny wave.

"Hi."

He smiled slightly. "Hi."

She bit her lip and hesitated for a second before she continued. "I'm sorry if this is weird, but would you mind helping me find my next class? I still don't really know my way around here."

He acted as though he was thinking about it for a second before shrugging and nodding. "Yeah, sure." He moved to stand up.

She reached her hand out for him to shake. "Aihara Kotoko."

He took it and grasped it firmly before giving a slight shake. "Irie Naoki." He slung his satchel over his shoulder. "Where to?"

"English," she pouted like a petulant child. "Not looking forward to it."

Naoki chuckled. "I'm sure it'll be okay, new kid. Maybe try paying a little attention."

Kotoko opened her mouth to protest, but he gestured with the extension of his arm toward the door and a wink.

Once they made their way out into the hallway, the whispers immediately started around them. Naoki rolled his eyes. He should've known his nosy school would find it interesting that he of all people was showing the new kid around, especially since said new kid was a pretty girl.

Kotoko turned to him. "What...?"

"I'd just ignore it. It happens." He rolled his eyes once more.

Kotoko gave him an impressed look. "Wow, I didn't know I was being escorted to class by Mister Popular."

He offered a cheeky smile. "Looks like it's your lucky day, doesn't it?"

"And he's full of himself!" Kotoko scoffed teasingly.

"What was that I heard?" He cupped his ear and leaned closer to her, grinning. "Someone doesn't need to be led to class?"

"Hey now!" she grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving. "I'm sorry, Mister Popular, I'll stop teasing."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'll accept the apology… For now."

He may have taken her the long way to get there, but she hadn't let go of his arm and he wasn't going to remind her.

Once they arrived to her classroom, he gestured towards the door. "Here we are."

Realizing that she was still holding onto him, Kotoko hastily pulled away. A rosy hue tinged her cheeks.

Naoki smirked, but didn't say anything about it. "Let me know if you need help finding anything else, new kid."

She folded her arms. "My name's not new kid, it's Aihara Kotoko."

"Aihara Kotoko." He let her name linger on his lips. "So pretty."

—-

"Aihara Kotoko?"

Noriko rolled her eyes. "Yes, Onii-chan. Aihara Kotoko and Aihara Shigeo. I've been talking about this for weeks!"

Naoki couldn't believe what he was hearing. The doe-eyed girl from earlier that day was the daughter of his father's best friend, said daughter and father that were on their way to move in with them that evening. He really should start listening to what his mother has to say…

His little brother, Yuuki, rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I have to give up my room! Ma, why can't she share the room with Onii-chan instead?"

Naoki teasingly looked at her as pointedly though Yuuki was making a valid point and Noriko scoffed good-naturedly at the both of them. "Oh, my sons. That's a good try, but… No."

Before the banter could continue, the doorbell sounded and Noriko jumped up from the couch excitedly, smoothing her skirt out with her hands before skipping merrily to the front door.

"Hello, welcome to our home!" she chirped gleefully after opening the door.

And there she was.


	2. Chapter 2

Alrighty, everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter. I really appreciate it and I'm excited to see where this story takes us all.

If it wasn't obvious already, this fic will be far from a slow burn. I don't want it to come off as rushed, but in this universe our Irie Naoki falls hard and fast. I've never really read a fic like this, so I thought I'd try my hand at it.

I also really like the idea of Naoki being a sweetheart to Kotoko for some reason. I know it's totally different from the real Irie Naoki, but again, why not, right?

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

—-

Kotoko's eyes widened once they landed on the eldest son of the household. "I-Irie-"

Naoki stepped forward and extended a hand for her to shake to stop her. "Hi! Yes, welcome to the Irie household! It's nice to meet you. I'm Irie Naoki."

Kotoko froze in confusion, so he took her hand gently in his and shook it, winking at her.

She cleared her throat. "Ni-nice to meet you. I'm Aihara Kotoko."

After letting go of her hand, Naoki turned towards Shigeo and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

Shigeo laughed awkwardly. "That's very kind of you, son."

Noriko clasped her hands together in glee. "We're so excited to have you here! Soo Chang will be here later tonight."

Shigeo smiled. "Thank you for being generous enough to let us live with you for a few months. We'll do what we can not to impose too much."

Noriko shook her head viciously. "There's no need for that!" She ran up to Kotoko and wrapped her petite arms around her. "I've always wanted a daughter, and now I have my chance!"

Kotoko giggled nervously, but leaned into the woman's warm embrace.

Naoki pursed his lips together to avoid chuckling at this entire encounter. "Oh Kotoko, let me help you bring your things up."

"Naoki!" Noriko let go of Kotoko to hold a palm to her heart. "How kind of you!"

Naoki sent a beaming smile his mother's way. "I aim to please." He walked over to where Kotoko's luggage was and picked it up with a quick swoop.

Kotoko bowed towards Noriko before skittishly following behind Naoki up the stairs.

Once they made their way to a room that looked as though Strawberry Shortcake violently threw up on everything, Kotoko bit her bottom lip and looked around before she asked, "Naoki, why didn't you want your mom knowing we've met already?"

Naoki set the suitcase and backpack down near the immaculately-made bed before he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Believe me, you'll thank me later."

Kotoko tilted her head inquisitively.

Naoki sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I love my mother."

He was cut off by Kotoko's taunts about him being a mommy's boy. He rolled his eyes and gave her a look before continuing. "_But _she loves scheming and would do everything in her power to make sure that the two of us end up married with kids by the end of the year."

Kotoko began to cough and sputter as her cheeks burned crimson. "Wh-what? I… What…?!"

Naoki nodded. "She wants nothing more than to have a daughter of her own, as you heard, and she has zero faith in me ever finding love on my own because I've never really been interested. Honestly, the whole matchmaking thing is still probably going to happen, but I've bought us a bit of time." He rested an elbow on his leg and nestled his chin onto his palm while he examined Kotoko's heart-shaped face for a moment. "Do you like oranges?"

She laughed and gave him an odd look. "What? That's a random quest-"

Before she could finish her question, Noriko was behind her, plate covered in sliced citrus in hand. "Hi, kids! I brought some snacks for you while you," she giggled, "get to know each other!"

Naoki gave Kotoko an "I told you so" look when Noriko wasn't looking as the woman set the plate down on a small round table surrounded by a couple chairs.

Noriko turned to look at the two of them and clasped her hands tightly under her chin and smiled before wordlessly leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Kotoko looked puzzled (and slightly disturbed). Naoki moved from his spot on the bed to one of the chairs, reaching for an orange slice and gesturing for Kotoko to sit next to him. "I wish I could say you get used to it, but… You really don't."

Kotoko took a seat and sat silently for a moment before she covered her face and let out a hearty laugh into her palms.

Naoki couldn't take his eyes off of her.

—-

The next morning, Naoki sat at his normal place at the breakfast table with his second cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other with Yuuki beside him imitating him with a book and a glass of orange juice.

If he was being honest with himself, he needed the extra caffeine to make up for how difficult it was to fall asleep the night before. He wanted to blame it on the fact that his little brother snored, but in reality, it was hard to sleep when he felt his heart beating wildly at the thought of the most beautiful girl he's ever seen just across the hall.

He looked at his watch and saw he had about five more minutes before he needed to start heading to school. He wondered if Kotoko missed her alarm.

Before he could finish his thought, he heard footsteps clunking down the stairs. He looked up and saw a very grumpy-looking girl with her hair done in pigtails.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." He folded up his paper and pushed a piece of toast on a plate towards her.

Kotoko wordlessly scowled at him and grabbed the piece of toast before heading towards the door.

Not a morning person. Definitely noted.

He quickly grabbed his satchel and patted Yuuki on the head. He got up and followed her out the door.

"Hey now, new kid," he called out to her where she was already several feet in front of him. "Wait for me!"

Kotoko paused and turned around. She pouted at him once more.

He caught up to her. "You're so grumpy this morning, aren't you?"

She crossed her arms. "I'm sleepy and don't wanna go to school."

Naoki teasingly fiddled with one of her pigtails. "Oh so sad. You'll be fine."

Kotoko blushed and batted at his hand. "I know I'll be fine but it doesn't mean I want to. I suck at school."

Naoki reached for her arm to gently tug her forward so they could keep walking. Cute as she was, she couldn't make them late to class. "Well lucky for you, I'm what they call a bit of a genius."

Kotoko giggled and rolled her eyes. "Has anyone ever told you you're full of yourself?"

"No one's had the balls, but that's beside the point." He mindlessly rubbed his fingers over her knuckles, her hand now in his. "I could help you study."

Kotoko shook her head. "I can't ask you to do that."

Naoki pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I'm living at your house and your whole family is doing all this stuff for me as it is. Plus," she avoided eye contact. "I don't want you to see how stupid I am."

"Hey now, don't say that." Naoki halted and cradled her chin in his hand so she would meet his gaze. "I just want to help you."

She offered him a tiny smile. "I appreciate that, trust me. I can handle myself. Now let's go or you'll make us late!" She darted off towards their school in the distance.

"Me? _I'll _make us late?" He called out before chasing after her.

Once they were inside the building, Kotoko pointed to where her locker was.

Naoki nodded and went to go follow her when he was stopped by someone stepping in front of him.

Matsumoto Yuuko. Naoki rolled his eyes. _Here we go. _

"Irie-kun! You're running late today, I see." Matsumoto twirled her hair around her finger.

He nodded tiredly. "Yes, that's why I'm trying to get to class now."

"Don't forget tennis practice this afternoon!" she chirped

Naoki gave her a thumbs up before walking past her.

Kotoko was already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi friends! I just wanted to take the time to say that I truly did not expect such an amazing response to this story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the kind words. It makes me so happy to see that there are people who are just excited about this story as I am. Thank you so much again.

In terms of updates, I'll do my best to update at least once a week. I can 100% promise that I won't go any longer than a month at most between updates because I'm really dedicated to seeing this project through, even if that means I have to write a bunch of chapters ahead of time. Because of these update times, each chapter will probably be the same length that they have been so far.

Without further ado, here's chapter 3!

—-

Naoki entered the first period classroom and his eyes immediately landed on Kotoko sitting in the seat she was the day before, hoping he would have the chance to clear up any misunderstandings caused by Matsumoto's presence.

This time around, she was accompanied by two girls: one with a heart-shaped face and another with glasses. Kotoko was giggling with them as though she had known them forever.

The possessive side of Naoki felt a pang of jealousy at the sight for a split second, but it definitely made him feel at ease to know that she was getting along well with other people at school. Friendliness was a quality that Kotoko seemed to possess, something Naoki never did.

Still giggling, Kotoko didn't notice Naoki's presence as he made his way over to sit behind her, but her friends sure did. Their giggling ceased as the school's beloved genius was in closer proximity to them than he ever had been before.

"Yah," the one friend with glasses nudged Kotoko, "You know who he is, right?" she whispered not-so-discreetly.

"Who?" Kotoko questioned.

"The guy sitting behind you. That's Irie Naoki."

Naoki laughed softly and went to open his book to where he had left off, waiting for her to answer and expecting her to talk about their odd living situation, but was taken aback by what she answered with.

"Oh, Irie Naoki. I see."

Both friends were shocked at her reply. The friend with the glasses tried to pry further. "Yes, Irie Naoki. As in the most popular guy at Tonan. He literally sits behind you and you aren't even a little happy about it?"

Kotoko shrugged. "I just don't get the big deal."

Oh. So it was like that.

Naoki wasn't going to admit it, but that hurt his pride, just a bit. It was the first time he'd ever heard someone not think of him as a big deal, and it was especially the first time that a girl that he was very fascinated by didn't seem to have a strong opinion on him.

The friend with glasses was about to retaliate when she was cut off by the teacher entering the classroom, effectively ending the conversation.

Throughout class, Naoki could barely focus (not that he needed to), burning a hole in the back of Kotoko's head with his gaze as he tried to figure out this peculiar girl.

When class ended, Naoki packed up slowly to see if Kotoko would ask for help walking to class, but without even a glance back, she walked off with her new friends.

—-

Throughout the day when he thought he would get a chance to talk to Kotoko or spend some time with her, Naoki was left with only quick glimpses of her before she was gone, as though he had just imagined even seeing her in the first place.

When it was time to go home, Naoki waited on the outskirts of the school grounds for the doe-eyed girl. He kicked around a rock for a bit when he heard that now-familiar laugh in the distance.

He looked up and saw Kotoko walking with none other than Ikezawa, talking animatedly. He felt an odd tightening in his chest at the sight, but it quickly dissipated as the boy went his own way,

When Kotoko saw Naoki, her eyes lit up and she skipped over to where he was, pigtails bouncing.

Naoki's heart skipped a beat as she got closer, but he pushed those feelings down so he could talk to her about earlier that day without getting distracted.

"Irie-kun!" She beamed at up him once she was next to him.

Shit. How was he supposed to be upset when she smiled at him like that?

"Kotoko," he mimicked her greeting.

"How was your day?" she chirped, still skipping alongside him as they began their journey home.

"Would've been a lot better if _someone_ didn't ignore me all day," he grumbled.

Kotoko's skipping paused. "What do you mean?"

Naoki ceased his walking and focused his gaze on a spot on his shoe that was coincidentally very interesting to look at all of a sudden. "Why didn't you want to tell anyone that we're friends, or that you live with me?"

Kotoko was quiet as she tried to muster up a response, which encouraged Naoki to continue to avoid eye contact.

He finally met her gaze when he felt a petite hand gently cup his chin and tilt his head up slightly. He let out a breathy laugh at just exactly how much she had to stretch her arm out to reach his chin with their height difference.

"Please don't misunderstand," her eyes were warm and unwavering from looking into his. "Trust me, I _want_ to get to openly be your friend."

He pouted. "Then why don't you?"

Kotoko bit her lip before answering and removed her hand from his face. "Yesterday after you dropped me off at my class, I got quite an earful from a pack of your fangirls for walking with you."

Naoki rolled his eyes. "Kotoko, I told you to just ignore them."

"It's not that simple, though," she contested. "It's not just about ignoring annoying groupies. I got lectured just for walking with you. I can't even begin to imagine how I'll be treated if they knew I was staying with your family."

Naoki took a moment to mull it over before responding carefully. "I guess I can understand where you're coming from. I just wish that didn't deter you from just doing what you want without having to worry about what other people think."

Kotoko shrugged. "I'm already the new kid. I don't really have the luxury of just ignoring that kind of stuff," she sighed. "At my old school, I was the girl with the dead mom. It'd be nice to just lay low for once, you know? That means no unnecessary interactions at school, please."

At that, it clicked for Naoki as to why it was so important for Kotoko to fly under the radar.

He finally nodded in understanding and continued their walk home, not wanting to pry. "No unnecessary interactions at school. Got it. Anything else I can assist with?" He felt two tiny arms wrap around one of his, causing his heart to pound painfully against his ribcage.

He turned to look and was met with the return of Kotoko's beaming smile. Naoki let out a laugh. "Uh oh. What am I signing myself up for here?"

She batted her eyes at him innocently. "I'm probably going to fail my math class unless you help me."

—-

She was wrong in that if he didn't help her, she wasn't probably going to fail her math class. She was most definitely going to fail her math class if he didn't help her.

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath as he read over her answers to her assignment. "Kotoko... If you said you've never seen math in your life before, I'd believe you."

"Don't tease me," she whined and shoved his shoulder. "I don't know what to do."

He patted her on the head to console her, and at that moment her bedroom door opened without even a knock as a warning.

Naoki quickly pulled his hand away just in time for his mother to enter the room with a plate of snacks in hand.

Noriko smiled at the sight. "How lovely that you two are getting along so well! Naoki, you're being so sweet to our Kotoko."

Naoki coughed awkwardly, and Kotoko took over, smiling at Noriko. "You all have been so kind to us, thank you."

Noriko set the plate down on the table in front of them so she could engulf Kotoko in a tight hug. "Don't even think about having to thank us. I've always wanted a daughter, and you and your father are family! And if you and Naoki continue to get along so well, we really can be family," she singsonged.

It was Kotoko's turn to cough awkwardly and turn a pretty shade of pink in her cheeks.

"Ma," Naoki sighed. "I love you. Thank you for the snacks. Please let us get back to studying now, please."

Noriko released Kotoko with a final squeeze. "I'll leave you two love birds to it then!"

When she closed the door behind her, the duo let out a breath they didn't know they were holding in.

Kotoko turned to Naoki. "Do you think she'll ever... Calm down a bit?"

Naoki laughed heartily. "Kotoko, Kotoko, Kotoko. This is nothing. Just you wait."


	4. Chapter 4

Hi friends! I hope you've all been well and that if you're in America that you're having a good Thanksgiving!

I've been so eager to write this chapter in particular and I think it's my favorite one so far.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

—-

Naoki woke up groggily with a backache and his arms asleep, yet he was somehow quite warm.

He sat up slowly and stretched out his numb arms while his mind recalled how he ended up in his current situation.

Ah, that's right. He was in Kotoko's room. At Kotoko's table. With Kotoko's math homework covered in his drool from where he must have fallen asleep on top of it. And a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Naoki had been tutoring Kotoko for a month at this point, and with exams coming up, he was determined to not only help her pass, but get an A. She thought he was absolutely insane, and was starting to agree with her on that one over time.

It wasn't that she wasn't trying by any means. He could see how worked up she was getting as she attempted to solve the page of equations, how she pored over the set of notes that he had created for her, yet it just wasn't clicking.

Naoki looked over and saw the girl in question peacefully still sleeping in the spot across from him.

Over the month that she had been living at their house for, he began to take note of all the different quirks she had and her funny little habits. He immediately grew to adore every single one of them. He never thought he'd be the type of guy to find himself completely besotted with the way someone mumbled to themselves, or got stuck in a daydream numerous times throughout the day, or took way too long in the shower when it was most definitely his turn to use it, yet here he was.

He had spent a very brief moment of this time that he had known Aihara Kotoko trying to deny that this was anything more than curiosity about such a fascinating person, or fleeting attraction at the very most. Yet as time progressed, he realized just how ridiculous he was for even entertaining any of those notions for more than just a couple seconds.

If he were to take another moment to evaluate the situation he was in, he would also realize that he was utterly doomed. There was not a single thing he wouldn't do for her. No request that would be too much. All it would take was a pout from her plush lips or a bat of her charcoal lashes and he was putty in her hands. No one had ever had that much power over him, and it terrified the shit out of him.

Regardless of all of these things, the biggest realization of all was how much he wanted her.

Don't get him wrong, being Kotoko's friend was amazing. Naoki loved being her friend (considering the friend department had always been one he was severely lacking in) and everything that came along with that, but he wanted to be more than just her friend.

He wanted her to be his.

_Today's the day_, Naoki thought to himself before getting up from the chair with a quick look of adoration in Kotoko's direction.

—-

"Irie-kun!" Kotoko whined as she pushed him away.

"What?" he questioned, feigning innocence despite the fact that he still held one of her pigtails in his hand.

She crossed her arms and pouted. "I didn't spend all this time on making my hair look good just so you could mess it up."

He held his hands up in defense. "Hey, it's not my fault. I can't help myself. They're just so cute."

Kotoko blushed furiously and shoved him once more. "You are so mean. Don't tease me!"

Naoki rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Keep it moving or we're going to be late_ again_."

"Yah," she glowered. "You're the one that always insists on having a full breakfast regardless of if we're already running late or not!"

"Only because I'm waiting on you to get ready."

Her eyes narrowed at him and he laughed.

"C'mon now, no sense in arguing with me. I'm always right." He sneakily leaned down to peck her on the cheek. "Cheer up, buttercup."

Kotoko began to ramble flusteredly, and he just took one of her hands in his to help pull her along to class, a cheeky grin spread across his face the entire time.

When they got to the front of their school, he gave her hand a final squeeze before he let her walk in first.

Kotoko turned around to stick her tongue out at him before going through the doors.

Naoki counted out thirty seconds or so in his head before he followed after her. Knowing she'd stop by her locker first and chit chat with her friends before heading to class, he went directly to the class to take his seat. He discreetly eyed the entrance to the classroom so he could see her walk in. You'd think that he wouldn't get as excited to see her as he did for someone who literally lived with her and saw her all the time, yet here he was.

His expectant gaze switched to a silent glower when she did arrive with Ikezawa trailing in after her, animatedly groveling about how he wanted to be allowed to see her after school too.

Naoki rolled his eyes. God, he couldn't stand that guy, but he left it alone because he'd grown to become pretty good friends with Kotoko.

Wait.

A feeling of uncertainty made Naoki's stomach drop. What if Kotoko was into that idiot? Here he was feeling so confident that she felt the same way about him when she could have been developing feelings for Ikezawa this whole time.

Naoki let out a deep breath. He could do this. The way he felt about Kotoko was strong enough that he couldn't let worry stop him from asking her to be together. Technically the worst thing she could say was no.

And that would _suck_ if she did.

—-

Because all of his classes were all review for him, they were a chance for Naoki to do whatever he wanted. Meaning he had the entire day to plot out exactly how he was going to ask her out.

He figured he could probably buy her a bouquet of flowers or something, but was that too cliche?

Maybe they could go and watch a movie and he could ask her to be his girlfriend over dinner afterward.

After mulling it over, the latter seemed to be a pretty reasonable option.

He waited in the spot he always waited for Kotoko in, and his nerves began to grow exponentially the longer she took to get to him.

He had gotten so lost in thought that he didn't notice that she had arrived until he felt someone poke his nose.

Naoki zoned back in, and Kotoko was right there in front of him, giggling and covering her smile with her hand. Her eyes were sparkling brightly, and the sight of her was so overwhelmingly breathtaking that the words practically fell out from his lips.

"Should we date?"

To Naoki's surprise, and slight embarrassment, the giggling increased. "What?"

He cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his head nervously. "Should we? Date?"

Sensing that he was being serious, Kotoko sobered up a bit. "What are you talking about?"

This wasn't going how he thought it would at all.

"Do you not want to?" He adjusted the collar of his shirt, looking at the ground. Suddenly the air felt very stuffy, despite them being outside.

He felt her dainty hands gently grasp both of his. "You are so dumb," he heard her giggle again.

Now she was just being cruel. Before he had a chance to rip his hands away, walk to the other side of the country, and change his entire identity, she spoke up again.

"I thought we already were."

It was his turn to be confused. "What?"

Kotoko rolled her eyes. "I thought we were already dating."

"Oh." Naoki's mind went completely blank. He blinked a couple times before he was able to fully process what she was saying.

Realizing how much courage it took him to get to this point, Kotoko decided it was her turn to make a move.

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips gently to Naoki's.

Before she had a chance to step away, Naoki snapped out of his confusion and grasped her face in his hands, deepening the kiss.

After a few moments of being completely enthralled in the sensation of being so close to each other, they both became aware of where they were. Kotoko was the first to pull away with one last kiss.

Naoki stared at her wordlessly, eyes fully blown with complete infatuation, hands still cupping her cheeks.

When his gaze remained unwavering, Kotoko squirmed out of his grasp and pushed at his chest lightly. "Naoki, lets go." She began to start walking towards their house.

He ran up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Can you do that again?

"Oh my god, you pervert. Let's go home."


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone!

I know I've been MIA for quite some time now, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it a bit? I'm going to try my best to keep this story going.

Thank you for reading!

Naoki couldn't lie: being someone's boyfriend was fucking awesome.

Being _Kotoko's _boyfriend in particular was pretty fucking awesome.

The only regret he had was not realizing that she considered him her boyfriend sooner, because then he could do boyfriend things like kiss her whenever he wants.

And boy, did he love kissing her.

"Irie-kun!" Kotoko whined and shoved him off of her.

He ignored her and pulled her to his chest. "Stop pushing me. Why won't you let me kiss you?"

Kotoko giggled and pressed her face into his neck. "Because you're kissing me too much! And we're at the house."

"But no one gets home for another couple hours." His fingers ran up and down her arm.

She planted a smacking kiss on his neck where his pulse was before she shoved him away once more. "I don't care. We're gonna get in trouble."

"You can't get in trouble if you don't get caught."

Kotoko rolled her eyes. "Well you'll be in trouble with me. You're supposed to be teaching me algebra!"

Naoki pouted. "I've been teaching you algebra for weeks now. I feel I deserve some sort of reward for my efforts."

"Being in the presence of my beauty is reward enough." She batted her eyes at him. "Besides," she sniffed indignantly, "A reward is granted when the mission is accomplished. I still don't know anything about math."

"And that's _my_ fault?"

Kotoko pouted and pushed him away playfully when his arms made their way around her waist yet again.

"Kotoko," he placed light kisses along the soft area beneath her jaw, knowing that it always led to him getting his way. "Why are you fighting me when you know you don't want me to stop?"

Her breathing became uneven, and her fingers tangled themselves in his light brown tresses.

The loud slam of the front door caused Naoki to cease all movement.

Kotoko hastily shoved him off before smoothing her hair and clothes down, though she was left with quite a bright flush that tinted her cheeks well into dinner time that night.

The biggest downfall that Naoki has discovered about being Kotoko's boyfriend is the fact that he couldn't act like Kotoko's boyfriend.

Meaning he has to sit in class and clench his jaw over Kotoko's little girlfriends trying to sit her up with that Ikezawa guy because he's just _so in love with her._

He had to sit and watch while that Ikezawa guy showered Kotoko in flowers and followed her around school like a lovesick puppy dog.

It was disgusting.

It was everything he was longing to do, but couldn't.

At Kotoko's request.

If he were being honest with himself, the idea of keeping their relationship a secret was truly starting to get under his skin. He was a very possessive man, and the fact that he couldn't show everyone that the most beautiful girl in the world was his was pissing him off.

He understood why Kotoko wanted things to be kept under wraps, seeing as she would face a lot of backlash from his little groupies, but the longer he had to keep his mouth shut and just sit back and watch as another man got handsy with his girlfriend, he wasn't so sure anymore.

He'd never been in a relationship before, let alone been in love. Girls have always been interested in him, but it'd never been more than infatuation with his good looks or how smart he was. If all he had were his personality, there wouldn't be any girls that looked his way in the first place.

Kotoko was the first to actually like him for who he was.

He still had difficulty vocalizing this to her, and it was definitely at the top of his list for things he needs to improve on in order to be a worthy boyfriend.

He figured it would just come to him eventually.

The three girls were giggling and flipping through a magazine a couple tables away from where he was during their first class of the day.

"Kotoko," the girl who eventually learned to be named Satomi from Kotoko's excited ramblings chirped.

His red-headed love turned to face her curiously.

"I think you need to give Kin-chan a chance."

"Yes!" Kotoko's other friend, Jinko, nodded fervently. "He really, really likes you!"

Naoki's jaw clenched as he overheard this. He was tired of this same topic over and over. The two girls never let it go.

Kotoko let out a sigh. "I told you guys already. I only like him as a friend!"

Satomi shoved her. "That could change, though. If you just let him take you on a date…"

Kotoko shook her head. "I don't want to date him. Please just leave it alone."

Jinko grumbled. "Jeez, okay. It's not that big of a deal."

Naoki let out a sigh of relief that he didn't even realize he was holding in. Thank god he didn't have to listen to this anymore. Just as he was getting comfortable in his seat with his latest novel, the pest in question sauntered in, eyes already zeroing in on Kotoko before he made it completely through the door.

_Here we go,_ Naoki thought, annoyed.

"My sweet Kotoko!" Ikezawa howled. "You didn't wait for me before you walked to class."

Naoki peeked up from his book to see Kotoko smile politely. "Sorry, Kin-chan. I just really wanted to get to class on time."

Before Ikezawa could say anything more, the teacher came in and wordlessly gave the boy a pointed look to go find his seat.

Kotoko was so gorgeous.

He knew he wasn't supposed to be super obvious about it, but there were times where he couldn't help but sneak longer glances at his girlfriend from his spot at his own lunch table.

She was laughing heartily at something that Jinko had said, and her smile was so bright that he felt his heart squeeze almost painfully at the sight.

Naoki's moon-eyed moment was rudely interrupted by Ikezawa sliding into the unoccupied spot next to Kotoko. The boy had a lunch tray that was overflowing with food, and as soon as he sat he placed several of the dishes in front of Kotoko.

"Here, Kotoko!" Ikezawa held out a spoonful of rice for her. "I wasn't sure what food you wanted to eat, so I got you everything."

Satomi and Jinko giggled amongst themselves and shoved Kotoko playfully.

"Wow, Kotoko," Jinko winked. "How sweet is he?"

Kotoko flushed deeply with embarrassment. "That's very nice, Kin-chan, but I have my own lunch."

Yes, yes she did have her own lunch. Naoki had meticulously packed it that very morning with extra strawberries because they were her favorite.

Ikezawa pouted. "But Kotoko, I got this special! Please have some or I'll be so sad."

Kotoko kept her eyes down. Eventually she timidly nodded before reaching for a french fry.

Ikezawa cheered and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

That was more than enough for him to be able to handle.

Naoki hastily stood from his table and left.

He could feel Kotoko's eyes follow him curiously.

He knew he was being petty, and that he should've waited for Kotoko in their usual spot so they could walk home together, but he couldn't get rid of the throbbing sensation in his head.

Naoki was resting on his bed with his eyes closed. No matter what he did, he couldn't erase the images of Ikezawa's arms wrapped around his love, or stop from hearing Kotoko's friends' voices telling her how Ikezawa would make such an amazing boyfriend.

After a little while, he heard a timid knock on his door.

Despite him not answering, he heard the door creak open before soft footsteps made their way towards his bed.

Warm, plush lips pressed gently against his forehead.

He sighed contentedly at the contact. Naoki reached out for her, and he felt Kotoko tuck herself into his side.

He opened his eyes when he felt her cup his face in her hands and kissed him softly on the lips chastely.

Kotoko let out a slight laugh when he wrapped his arms tightly around her. She caressed his face. "Are you feeling better?"

Naoki tucked his face into her neck to avoid having to meet her eyes. He was being childish, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. "I'm okay."

"Why didn't you wait to walk with me?" She stroked his hair, as she always did when she knew that he had a headache.

He only offered a shrug in response.

The red-haired girl sighed but still held him close. "It makes me sad when you close off from me like this, Irie-kun."

"I don't want to make you sad."

"Tell me what's wrong then."

The reasonable part of him knew that he should speak up and tell her how he was feeling, but the prideful part of him that he tried his hardest to keep Kotoko from seeing was winning his internal battle.

"Nothing's wrong." His jaw clenched tightly.

Kotoko sighed. "Did I do something bad? Whatever it is, I'll make it right, I promise.'

Hearing her sound so anxious was painful, but yet he couldn't stop himself from getting angrier.

Naoki sat himself up and pulled away from her. He ran a hand through his hair. "For the love of god, Kotoko, just fucking drop it! Why do you keep pushing me all the damn time?" he snapped, his eyes fiery as they finally met her round, expressive ones.

He instantly regretted it the second it left his mouth.

Naoki watched in horror as her eyes began to glitter with unshed tears, her hand that was comforting him mere seconds ago recoiled close to her body as though he had hit her.

"Kotoko-"

She smiled gently at him despite the hurt that was so evident on her face, her eyes not quite meeting his. She stood up from the bed. "I should go."

He reached out for her. "Please, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She was already out the door before he could finish speaking.


	6. Chapter 6

Wow! Thank you so much for all the love. I was literally speechless when I got to see all the attention my little fic had received overnight.

To the guest who left such lovely reviews for me, thank you so much for taking the time to review each chapter so much attentiveness. I truly appreciate it.

I'm so happy that I'm receiving such great feedback about my portrayal of Naoki. I was super hesitant because he does stray from the typical tsundere that we know and love, but I truly think that we would've loved him the same and if not more if we got to see the ways in which he could healthily display his love for Kotoko, and Kotoko definitely deserved to have that kind of love.

Anyways! On with the story.

Naoki was well aware that he was an entitled asshole, and he had been for quite some time.

He had just accepted that he would never really have any friends because of it, and he was okay with that because less human interaction meant more time that could be put into studying and working hard to make something of himself.

But now that he was someone's boyfriend, it hit deep in the pit of his stomach to see the repercussions of his actions.

Before Kotoko, nothing was ever really a big deal to him. Sure, there were times where that felt a bit lonely, but that was okay. Not letting anything have that power over him meant not getting hurt. No one could have the power to affect him in that way, and he did what he could to keep it that way.

But everything was different with her.

He had gotten quite used to having her constant presence near, with her excited ramblings and aimless chatter. Even when she didn't have anything in particular to talk about, she didn't like silence. In another world, he would probably find that kind of thing to be irritating, but he's felt what deafening silence had felt like, and having Kotoko fill that put something within him at an ease.

His mother, the all-knowing being that she was, instantly could sense something was wrong.

Naoki and Kotoko sat at their respective seats at the dinner table, but there was no playful banter for the rest of the family to tease them about. Just silence.

And anyone who knew Kotoko knew that silence from her was dangerous territory.

Shigeo cleared his throat. "Well, this has been a lovely meal. I have to be at the restaurant early in the morning, so I'll be heading to bed."

Yuuki nodded fervently in agreement before chiming in, "I need to go to bed early as well. Goodnight!"

"I'll leave you two be, but whatever it is, please figure it out," Noriko lectured softly before leaving the room.

Before Naoki knew it, it was just Kotoko and himself left at the table with the sounds of his mother loudly washing dishes in the kitchen to solidify her albi later on that she was "absolutely not eavesdropping."

Naoki averted his gaze for a moment due to how uncomfortable it was for him to see his little love so shrunken in on herself in his presence. He took another second to fiddle with his fingers before he finally gained the courage to speak. "I-"

"You really hurt me." Kotoko's eyes finally met his, red-rimmed and glossy.

"I know. I'm sorry." He'd never really felt this emotion before, but the closest word he could think of to describe it was ashamed.

Kotoko shook her head. "If we're going to make this," her eyes flitted to the kitchen before she lowered her voice, "_relationship_ work, you need to understand that you can't talk to me like that."

Naoki dropped his gaze down to the polished surface of the table. "I know," he responded, just barely above a whisper.

"I don't blame you. I know it's taking some adjustment to try and figure out what it means to be in a relationship. Not just for you, but for me too. A major part of that is figuring out how to let each other in." Kotoko reached across the table and grasped one of his hands in hers.

Naoki clenched his jaw and kept his eyes on their hands. "That doesn't make it okay."

"No, it doesn't. You snapping at me like that really, really hurt, but it hurt more that you wouldn't talk to me and tell me what was wrong." She rubbed her thumb along his knuckles.

The soft gesture coupled with how kind her voice was made his heart ache. "I'm just feeling really… Suffocated."

Kotoko was silent for a moment and her movements paused. "B-by me?"

Naoki quickly realized his mistake in word choice. He scrambled to grasp her dainty hand in both of his and peppered kisses to her knuckles. "No, god, no. That's not what I meant at all. I never want you to think that."

Kotoko didn't look any more comforted. "To be honest, you've just been so distant and I was getting worried that you were just looking for the right time to end this."

Naoki closed his eyes in frustration. Of course she would think that with the way he had acted. "Kotoko, I don't want to break up with you. I'm so sorry that I made you think that. If I'm being honest… It's the opposite."

Kotoko tilted her head in confusion.

"What I mean is," Naoki sighed, "It's really hard that I don't get to act like your boyfriend. I get why we can't and I respect that, but I hate that I can't even talk to you at school. And that stupid idiot, Ikezawa-"

Kotoko's eyes narrowed. "What about Kin-chan?"

"He's all over you all the time. I hate it!" Naoki exclaimed exasperatedly. "He follows you around like some lost puppy dog and I hate it. I hate it so much."

"So what you're telling me is that you've been acting like this because you're… Jealous."

Naoki grimaced. "Yes?"

Before he could even finish what he was saying and attempt to rid himself of the flush of embarrassment that was creeping up his neck, he had a lap full of a giggling Kotoko.

"Irie-kun! You were really jealous?"

Naoki's eyes widened and he quickly looked around to make sure no one was there to see them. "Kotoko-"

"You were jealous!"

Naoki rolled his eyes, but he could feel the corners of his mouth tugging up into an uncontrollable smile. "Yes, okay? Don't let it get to that head of yours."

Kotoko planted a kiss to his jaw before tucking her head in the crook of his neck. "You are so silly. I only have eyes for you."

"It's not the most fun thing for a guy to have to see someone else all over his girlfriend, you know."

Kotoko scoffed. "How do you think I feel? You have millions of girls all over you every day!"

"That's not the same," Naoki kissed the top of her head. "Those girls never really do anything. Ikezawa acts like he's your boyfriend by buying you lunch, hanging out with your friends with you, or trying to walk you home. _I_ want to be able to do those things."

The red-haired girl sighed. "I know. It takes literally everything in me not to hold your hand in the halls or brag about you to Satomi and Jinko."

Naoki rubbed a hand down her back. "I get it. I can wait as long as you need, but what _I_ need is for Ikezawa to back off."

"I really do try my best to make him see that I don't feel the same way, but I'll see what I can do, okay?"

Naoki tilted her chin up so he could kiss her lips gently. "Why are you so good to me?" he sighed once he pulled away.

Kotoko leaned up for one more peck. "Don't you forget it!" she chirped cheekily.

"You better stop kissing me right now before you get yourself into trouble," he warned teasingly as his lips made their way down her neck.

"I-Irie-kun!" Kotoko shoved at his chest. "You're not off the hook yet here, mister."

"I don't know, I can be pretty persuasive…"

Kotoko rolled her eyes. "Okay, lover boy. The only thing that'll get you back in my good graces is helping with my chemistry homework."

Naoki feigned being offended. "See, I knew you were only using me for my brain."

Kotoko did nothing but wink at him before hopping off his lap and leading him to her room.

Where a stack of chemistry homework was waiting for him on the table.

"Irie-kun."

Naoki groaned and batted at whoever was trying to wake him up.

"Irie-kun!"

He opened one eye slightly to see a blurry outline of Kotoko attempting to shake him awake. "What? What's wrong?" He rubbed at his eyes.

"We fell asleep!"

Naoki, still half-asleep, just nodded and reached out to pull her into his arms. "Go back to sleep."

Kotoko shook him harder. "No, we fell asleep in my bed!"

That woke him up.

He shot up quickly. "Oh shit." He looked to the clock on Kotoko's bedside table where "3:34" shone in bright red numbers.

"Yeah, oh shit! You need to go!"

Naoki scrambled and pushed the fluffy pink comforter off of himself, kissing Kotoko deeply one last time before opening her bedroom door in a haste and tip-toeing out to his room across the hall.

He quickly snuck into the room and closed the door behind himself, leaning his body against it and letting out a sigh of relief.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made him jump.

"Onii-chan." Yuuki was standing right in front of him with his arm crossed, looking like the spitting image of their mother when she was disappointed.

"Y-Yuuki! What are you doing awake?" Naoki laughed nervously.

"Where did you come from?"

Naoki made his way over to his bed, feeling his little brother's eyes burning holes in his back.

"I was helping Kotoko with her homework and I fell asleep," he said innocently as he got under the covers.

"Do you like her?"

Naoki smiled. "Yeah. I do like her."

Yuuki climbed into his own bed and threw a pillow in Naoki's direction. "I knew it! I knew you liked her!"

Naoki shushed him. "Don't say anything, okay? You know how mom can be."

"I won't. Just make sure to still make time for me."

"I'll always have time for you, Yuuki."

"You did good, Onii-chan. She's annoying, and a little dumb, but you did good."

Naoki rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Yuuki."

Kotoko was an absolute mess the next morning.

"Kotoko, come on," Naoki rubbed her back as he tried to stifle laughter. "We have to keep walking."

"No," she whined as she shoved her face into his chest. "I'm too tired."

"Why are you so tired? You went right back to sleep as soon as I left."

Kotoko grumbled incoherently. She reached her arms up. "Carry me."

"Oh my god," Naoki groaned teasingly. "You are such a baby." He scooped her up and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

She nuzzled into his neck. "I'm _your_ baby."

Naoki hummed in agreement as he held her closer, continuing to walk with her in his arms.

Once the school was in view, Naoki gently set Kotoko back on her feet.

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him soundly on the lips before skipping to the front doors.

"Don't seem so tired now, do you?" he called after her.

She held up her middle finger to him without turning back around.

Naoki decided to stop at his locker before heading to the first period.

Right as he got there, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Matsumoto leaning up against it.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked tiredly, gesturing for her to move out of the way.

"Winter formal is coming up, you know." Matsumoto moved to lean against the locker next to his, twirling her stark curls around her finger.

"I didn't know that, actually." Naoki swapped out his books and closed the door, maneuvering around her in what he thought would be a way to end the conversation.

She followed him on his heels to the entrance of his class. "Irie-kun, we're the most popular kids at school. Everyone else expects us to go together, and I don't think we should let them down."

Naoki rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that morning, and it was barely eight o'clock. "Matsumoto-san, I don't think anyone cares what we're doing. I'm sorry, but I can't."

He moved to go into the class, but she reached out and held onto his arm. "Irie-kun, why can't you just give me a chance? I think we'd make a good match, and with time I'm sure you'd think that, too."

"No, I don't think so."

Naoki turned around to see Kotoko pipe up from behind him.

Matsumoto sneered. "I'm sorry, shortstack, but this conversation doesn't concern you."

Kotoko crossed her arms. "It does concern me when you're harassing my boyfriend."

Matsumoto laughed in disbelief. "Boyfriend? Your boyfriend?"

Naoki turned to caution Kotoko to calm down before she said something she'd regret, but before he could even open his mouth Kotoko had the collar of his shirt in her grasp to pull him down to her level in order to kiss him deeply.


End file.
